Airfare Hikes Hit Four Key Routes

4/10/2013 12:58PM

In airline mergers, monopoly markets pay the highest toll. Scott McCartney looks at which routes will face the richest price hikes with when American and US Airways are to combine, and offer tips for travelers seeking alternatives. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... Wendy downs your airline fares any type of CIT jacked up in some key markets which ones and wine you the scoop ... is a veteran airline columnist Scott McCartney writes ... The Middle CRI Scott before we start Meanie nicknames and point fingers and markets ... us the finger at the polls now ... consolidation in the industry how many major carriers are left and losing track ... it will be ... a major carriers but the deal was the destination but then when singer never is there are stories to international groups ... and there are three major ... just an airline Southwest and JetBlue and in Virgin America ... so when we essentially have consolidated and the three and three ... now what's the lesson of the frying routes where we're going to feel the pain out is looking on the list for New York and forcibly affirmations see anything there were talk about why that is just a second but Miami Philadelphia ... this is one of those routes where the fears of going out twice that ... it will lie in the Philadelphia is the real winner on US Airways and American compete pretty much evenly and and ... when they do merge and they will have a virtual monopoly on the rich ... and well we seen it as United and Continental and then also Delta Northwest when you create a virtual monopoly gets wet ... Airlines price accordingly and we've seen a huge fare increases in in those markets ... in summary we took a look at a different American US Airways markets where you could see similar increases folks traveling up and Dallas getting hit ticker the Dallas Phoenix trend is one of the Dallas San Jose ... California Route another people have to walk out how much affairs going up on average in these these spots Scott ... will unite it clearly pushed him in there sort of a newly created monopoly markets of which there is up more than fifty percent of the Delta was a little more muted Delta's got a lot of competition out of its Atlanta of aam from AirTran ... it in some others so um ... well overall Dell's the time ... fears of more than thirty percent over the last three years ... for domestic flights and they make couldn't quite ... get ... an a premium to United in that it's ... on it's head of markets solid else another one bit sad it's getting hit that one talk a little bit about what an opportunity ... aam and is this fair squeeze it opens up actually ... for a lot of discount airline Scott how are they reacting to that of my date is going to go full force into these markets and is trying to undercut the big boys ... well in full force of what you what you see is ... sort of Strategic Income ... incursions that you you will ... last week announced the airline started flying between Dallas and Philadelphia on the market that say you know ... soon to be common not when markets parents As or Heitner's there to begin with ... so the time they decided before the merger but you can clearly see that coming ... aam is just this and this week ... Virgin America starting a fight between Newark and Stephen Sysco also in Newark in Los Angeles ... those markets where Continental and United no longer can be done it's all United ... and in so there's an opportunity there for Virgin America ... the onthe was checking out some these discount airline fares got any advice for travelers looking to avoid ... air hikes and maybe still one to fly with the majors ... it was the cutest along ... with the majors on line the streets you know times are in big cities and so these are visited the big city routes ... on where you see the kind of of the near monopoly pricing ... you can usually find alternatives that are willing to make a connection on ... it and I think there will be some deals on other carriers are willing to make a stop on it's it's less convenient but it ... if prices what's really driving it that that that's one of the ... you know one of the side effects of consolidation inside to get cheap fares to go in and maybe weren't mean ... that painful truth are I Scott McCartney good reporting